Name tags were placed on all the seats, except for Ronin's. Everyone else was seated, leaving Ronin standing alone, feeling quite embarrassed.
At that moment, a middle-aged man with a full beard walked over, sporting a large belly.
He approached with a smiling face and pointed to a seat on the stage. "Mr. Ronin, your seat is over there!"
Ronin naturally recognized this man it was Gino Cromwell, CEO of Ring City Films.
He had once humbly approached Cromwell to discuss a collaboration. In the end, he hadn't even managed to meet him; Cromwell's assistant had told him that Cromwell was attending an important meeting in Canada and wouldn't be back for a few days.
In reality, as far as Ronin knew, Cromwell had been at the company the whole time he had simply avoided meeting him.
The reason was simple: Ring City Films was the largest film company in the United States and had no interest in collaborations proposed by small companies. They believed such small outfits couldn't generate meaningful profits for a giant like them.
"Mr. Cromwell, do you remember a small company that once approached you to discuss cooperation?" Ronin asked with a smile.
Without waiting for an answer, Ronin laughed at himself again. "A fine company like Ring City would never pay attention to those small companies. I was really too naive."
Cromwell was slightly stunned. Too many companies had approached him for cooperation; he genuinely couldn't remember. Could it be...
Suddenly realizing something, he immediately felt deep regret. If Overwatch Pictures had truly come to him back then, he would have missed a gold mine—an inexhaustible gold mine.
Ronin took his seat. Those who could sit here were all big names in the industry.
Seeing him arrive, several people already seated on the stage smiled and nodded in greeting.
Many faces were familiar. Several of them had once mocked and ridiculed him, believing his ideas were too naive and childish that a story built purely on heroism couldn't win the audience's love.
Yet now, Soldier: 76 had slapped all of them hard in the face.
At first, these people thought that artistic films and documentaries had depth and style, and that most audiences would like them. However, as one film after another flopped, they realized that modern society needed more light-hearted, refreshing movies.
So Dawn of War appeared out of nowhere and created a wave of enthusiasm at the time, but it quickly faded. That film had only touched the threshold of commercial cinema and was still far from the pinnacle represented by Soldier: 76.
Now, seeing Soldier: 76 explode in popularity worldwide, they all tried to imitate it, but the results were far from satisfactory.
Ronin just wanted to tell them: You're too naive. The scripts he had brought with him through transmigration were unparalleled. If anyone could simply imitate them, he would feel unworthy of being a transmigrator.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this international film summit. I also hope that this international film summit will conclude successfully..."
While Ronin's thoughts were wandering, Cromwell, as the organizer, had already stepped up to the microphone and begun his dull opening speech.
Once the speech ended, warm applause erupted. Ronin reluctantly clapped twice as well.
To be honest, sitting on the stage for the first time felt really uncomfortable. It gave him the illusion that everyone below was a student. It was very similar to school assemblies from his past, except that this summit had much more prestige.
"Why hold a summit? It is to promote the development of the film market, make it more prosperous, and provide a platform for sharing and exchange among the world's best filmmakers. For this purpose, we have specially invited Mr. Ronin, the screenwriter of Soldier: 76 and CEO of Overwatch Pictures. Let us welcome him to the stage with applause. I believe everyone is already eager to hear him."
Cromwell spoke with great passion, and then thunderous applause erupted.
Filmmakers from various countries were all looking forward to this moment. The man who had created an industry legend Mr. Ronin was finally going to speak!
People outside the hall were also watching expectantly, but Lucy felt extremely nervous. The boss hadn't even prepared a speech. If he went up and started talking nonsense, it would be disastrous.
When his name was called, Ronin looked at Cromwell in confusion. The latter's face fat clearly trembled. Obviously, he didn't understand why Ronin was still sitting there motionless. Was he showing off?
The entire audience fell into a mysterious silence.
"Ah... The driver drove too fast on the way here, and I got dizzy from all the shaking back and forth. I haven't recovered yet. Mr. Cromwell, please let someone else speak first. I'm really sorry, everyone. I'll definitely deduct the driver's salary later."
Ronin held his forehead, pretending to feel very unwell.
In truth, his thoughts had already flown off to the heavens and couldn't be reined back in. Moreover, he didn't have the skill to improvise a speech on the spot, so he had to buy himself some time. No matter what he said, he could at least prepare a few sentences so it wouldn't be too embarrassing.
Some people in the audience couldn't help but laugh. Mr. Ronin was truly a man of character, and his words were humorous too.
Looking at the big screen and seeing Thomas's depressed face again, Lucy was amused. "Thomas, is your job just to take the blame for Mr. Ronin?"
Thomas blended into the night. If it weren't for the lights, he might have disappeared on the spot if he closed his eyes and mouth.
He smiled bitterly: "Maybe..."
A bitter smile is still a smile. As a human being, you have to live with a smile! o(╥﹏╥)o
Cromwell had no choice but to say: "Then, let's first invite Mr. Abel Hopkins, the director of Soldier: 76, to the stage for his speech!"
After the applause, a blond man as thin as a bamboo pole walked onto the stage and approached the podium.
He bowed first, then said: "Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am Abel Hopkins, director of Soldier: 76. Perhaps you had already heard my name before the filming of Soldier: 76. You might think that a director who is only barely well-known like me would not accept a film from a small company."
There was a collective "oh" from the audience; everyone felt he was being too modest. If even he could only be considered "barely well-known," then there would be no famous directors left in the world.
"But you are wrong. When Mr. Ronin found me and handed me the script to read, I decided right then that I must direct this film—even if at that time Mr. Ronin was so poor that he couldn't even afford to pay my salary."
Director Hopkins laughed, and all the filmmakers in the audience laughed along with him.
Amid the laughter, one could sense the difficulties Overwatch Pictures had faced back then. Now they had risen with this film, which could be called an industry legend—unprecedented!
"Why? Because I was certain this movie would be a huge success. My intuition has always been very accurate, and I had never seen such a perfect script before. It is clearly a film with very strong heroic colors, yet it is interwoven with explorations of human nature, interpretations of death, understandings of disaster, and expressions of peace."
"Now it seems my choice was not wrong. The script for Soldier: 76 is perfect—perfect to the point that I have no faults to find. I simply presented it through the lens of the camera. The core still lies in the script. Therefore, the success of Soldier: 76 should mainly be attributed to Mr. Ronin."
"Mr. Ronin is not only a CEO who can keenly sense market demands, but also a great screenwriter. I want to thank Mr. Ronin for providing me with such a flawless script, allowing me to complete such a wonderful film. Thank you!"
Director Hopkins nodded slightly toward Ronin's seat. Ronin nodded and smiled in return.
Director Hopkins was a very decent person. At that time, he had considerable prestige in the industry. When Ronin, at his wit's end, had approached him, he hadn't held much hope—but Hopkins had agreed.
Among the many directors, he was the only one willing to settle his salary after the film was released.
Now it seemed his choice had been very far-sighted. The global popularity of Soldier: 76 had made him famous worldwide.
After Director Hopkins left the stage, Cromwell called Ronin's name again. Ronin steeled himself, stood up, and walked toward the podium.
Standing in front of the podium, a wonderful feeling surged up within him, and his previously stiff face suddenly became lively.